Senioritis
by meggie1987
Summary: It's been 2 years since college graduation. 2 years since the 6 of them have been in the same room. Now, they're coming together for the wedding of 2 of their own. Thick as thieves back in their high school years; a cross country road trip after graduation changed everything; and the entire group dynamic shifted. Sometimes we must look back, to remember who we are. BL/NH/JP


**SENIORITIS**

a One Tree Hill Brucas fanfic

by: meggie1987

 **AN:** Hey fanficers! I'm new here to the site; well as an author that is :) so, basically, writing has always been a passion of mine, and I've had this idea for a long time. The concept originally came to me as a screenplay idea; I love film and used to attempt to write screenplays back in the day, but writer's block would take over, and other than the initial idea and knowing where I wanted the story to go, I could never finish. I've always been a fan of One Tree Hill, and Brucas was by far my favorite couple. I was not a Leyton fan whatsoever. Thought the chemistry was forced and awkward, and they totally did look like siblings! Anyways, so I decided to turn my screenplay idea into a Brucas fanfic, and test it out on this site to see what you folks thought! Feedback is much appreciated, and I hope you all enjoy :)

 **Basic Info You Should Know Before We Begin:**

This story will begin in present day, and then throughout will be primarily told through flashbacks. Since I myself personally get a headache trying to read long pages of italicized flashbacks, flashbacks will NOT be in italics. At the top of every chapter with a flashback I will write in **bold** at the top of the page **FLASHBACK** so you'll know. I have no idea how long this story will end up, and it will wrap up back in present day at the end with one epilogue chapter.

So, that being said: **background**! Lucas, Brooke, Haley, Nathan, Peyton and Jake have all been best friends since high school. Lucas and Nathan are cousins, but have been raised as brothers (they do know that they are cousins not actual brothers though). Haley and Jake are brother and sister. Peyton and Brooke are best friends. Peyton, Brooke, Nathan, and Jake are all the same age. Lucas and Haley are 3 years older. Hmm.. yeah that's pretty much all you need to know. Don't want to give too much away up front ;) oh and also, since this was originally a screenplay idea with original characters, something that is different is Brooke is a singer/musician NOT Haley. It's necessary for story purposes. Oh and Luke is also a musician NOT Jake. Also necessary. Hard to imagine but bear with me people and think outside the box ;)

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE TREE HILL OR ITS CHARACTERS.**

 **Summary: VERY AU**

It's been 2 years since college graduation. 2 years since the 6 of them have all been in the same room. Now, they're coming together for the wedding of 2 of their own. They were thick as thieves back in their high school years, but a cross country road trip after graduation changes everything; and the entire group dynamic shifts. Sometimes we must look back, to remember who we are, and what's important.

 **Chapter 1: Heard it Through the Grapevine**

 ** _Present day- Nashville, TN_**

Brooke walked into Blackbird Studios, purse and black coffee in hand. Pushing her sunglasses back on top of her head, creating a headband effect, she walked into the production booth, where her producer was waiting.

"Hey Jim. Sorry I'm late."

Jim finished the text he was sending on his phone, and looked up at Brooke with a smile.

"No worries! You're right on time actually, unlike your other half."

She frowned at this.

"He's not here?"

"Nope. I've texted him 3 times and called him 5. Left 2 voicemails. Carrier pigeon is next."

Brooke slammed her coffee down on the table in a huff, throwing her purse not the ground whilst simultaneously pulling out her cell phone and sitting down in a chair next to Jim.

"Woah watch out for the soundboard!"

Jim said as he made a protective barrier around the mixing board so as not to let the coffee spill on any of the buttons.

"Dammit I'm sorry Jim!"

She hastily wiped away a few drops of the spilled coffee with the sleeve of her shirt. She was casually dressed, in dark skinny jeans, black fringe cowgirl boots, and a long sleeve scoop neck top. The only fancy thing about the outfit was the long gold dangling turquoise jewel necklace she wore around her neck. She was furious that her partner wasn't there yet. They were down to one last song on the album. One more song, and then they'd finally be done and she wouldn't have to see him again until the tour. Yet, he couldn't even manage to be there. She looked at her phone, opened her text messages and scrolled until she found his name.

 _Where the hell are you?! Shake off whatever groupie whore you have in bed, and get your ass here. NOW._

She was so angry she was shaking as she pounded out the text.

"Okay there tiger? You seem tense."

"Tense. Heh. Yeah. That's one word for it. Mind if I go ahead and head into the booth Jim?"

"Not at all. It's all yours. Since we're obviously gonna be getting started late, I'm gonna go run and get some food from the kitchen. Didn't have a chance to eat on my way out the door this morning."

Jim gently squeezed Brooke's shoulder with a small smile on his way out the door. He didn't exactly know what was going on between his 2 clients, but whatever it was, wasn't good. Brooke was a great girl, and he felt bad that she was clearly upset. Brooke waited until the door closed, and sighed a deep sigh. She crossed to the other side of the room to another door, and walked into the large sound booth where they were supposed to live band record their song today, a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Heard it Through the Grapevine". Taking a seat at the grand piano, she gently stroked her fingers across the keys, and began to play an unnamed melody. Music was her escape; her passion. Music brought them together. Music is how they fell in love. And now music has destroyed them. Brooke was broken from her daze with the sound of the door banging against the wall as it was hastily thrown open. She looked up in fright to see the object of her sadness, anger, and frustration. He looked a wreck. Sloppily dressed, in torn and faded jeans, and a wrinkly plaid and pearl snapped long sleeve button down and beat up work boots.

"Don't start."

She rolled her eyes.

"What? I didn't say a damned thing."

He scoffed.

"You didn't have to. It's all over your face."

She stood from the piano bench and moved away from him. She wanted to create distance. As angry as she was at the man stood before her, it didn't change the fact that he still had her heart. She hadn't been able to get it back yet, as much as she'd tried. She wouldn't show weakness though. She couldn't. He hurt her too much. They just had to finish what they had started, finish this second duet album, and then she'd go solo and he would become a distance memory. She'd start over. Find herself outside of a relationship. Even if it killed her.

"I don't want to fight with you Lucas. I can't. Let's just be professional, and knock out this last track. Then we will be done with this. With us."

"Done with us? We can never be done. Don't you realize that? There's the upcoming tour…"

"Yes, and other than performances I have no intention of being in the same room as you."

"Appearances, signings…."

"I'm a great actress."

"Oh and let's not forget the wedding this weekend."

"Yes Lucas, unfortunately we have a lot of ties and obligations to each other. Breakups are messy. But I have full confidence that we can come together these last few times like responsible adults, and when it's all said and done finally be rid of each other."

They were so in tune with one another. Finishing each other's sentences and the like. His heart broke at her coldness and indifference. He screwed up. He knew that. It looked bad. Really bad. He couldn't blame her for being upset. Not at all. She had been the object of his affections for so long, and they went through so much just to be together. He literally got his dream girl, and then fucked it up. Same old story. He had hoped that going back to their hometown for the weekend and seeing their friends at the wedding would be a time to woo her back, but seeing how she was right now in front of him, stubborn and set in her convictions, he was losing hope.

"Brooke… I love you. I… I know that I hurt you, I KNOW that. But you have to know, it's… it's not at all what you think…"

Brooke began to laugh. A dry, sarcastic laugh.

"Unfuckingbelievable. Not what I think? NOT WHAT I THINK?! I walked in to OUR house, into OUR bedroom, and found some skanky groupie in OUR bed NAKED. It doesn't take a fucking rocket scientist to deduce what happened."

Lucas hung his head in shame. For even though there was an explanation, it looked bad and he couldn't blame her for being upset.

"Baby…"

This made her even more angry. She raised her eyebrow at him as if to say, "are you fucking kidding me"?

"Brooke." He quickly said. "Brooke, I know that it looked bad but I promise you on my life that it isn't what it looked like! Yes, I met that chick at a bar one night, and yes I had a drink with her, and I shouldn't have but I swear, I didn't invite her back to our place! I swear! I wouldn't do that to you!"

"Why should I believe a damned word you say Lucas? Huh? You can swear until you're blue in the face that you didn't do anything wrong, but the fact of the matter is you've changed, you let the fame get to your head, and our relationship suffered. Whether I believed you or not, fact of the matter is, if you had any respect for ME or what WE shared you WOULDN'T have ever put yourself in that kind of position in the first place! I mean God, what do you take me for anyway?! An idiot?! I'm supposed to believe she just followed you to our house and then her clothes just magically fell off?!"

"YES! I know it sounds crazy, but yes she followed me home and I couldn't shake her, left the room to call her a cab, couldn't find her, then discovered her in our bed and then you walked in…"

Brooke couldnt' believe what she was hearing. All to convenient all too out there of an explanation. She wouldn't be a fool. She wouldn't take the chance of believing him even if deep down she really wanted to. Before she had a chance to respond, Jim's voice echoed over the sound system in the studio and she looked up at the large window to see him on the other side in the sound booth in front of the mixing board, talking through the mic to them in the soundproof room they were standing in.

"Luke hey man, you finally made it! Tie one over last night or what?"

Lucas wanted to continue his conversation with the brunette standing before him, and was annoyed to be interrupted. He had to make her understand.

"I just overslept Jim. Sorry man."

"Well you can make it up to me by nailing this track today. Preferably on the first go; it's crunch time now. I gotta pick up my kid from school in 3 hours."

Brooke was so thankful for Jim's impeccable timing and used it as an excuse to move away from Lucas. She walked over to a nearby mic, that had a music stand with lyrics already on it and headphones dropped over the top. She placed one of the cushiony large headphones over her left ear, and kept the other side off of her right ear so she'd be able to hear herself sing.

"Yeah lets get started Luke. Time to be professionals. We will talk about this later."

He knew it was a lie the moment she said it. Brooke had no intention of continuing the conversation. She wasn't going to listen to him; she didn't want to hear it. He would give up… for now. With a sigh, and walked over to his guitar case, opened it and picked up his '69 Gibson Les Paul guitar, pulled the strap over his shoulder and attached it, pulled his pick from the top fret string, and set himself up on the stool that was in front of another mic and placed his headphones on his ears the way Brooke's were. One ear on and one ear off.

"Alright. Heard it through the grapevine cover, take one. We recorded drums and bass the other day with the studio musicians, so today's just guitar and vocals. Let's rock!" Jim said, and the sounds of the drums and bass filled the room with the classic beat, and Lucas came in with the killer guitar lick and Brooke's sultry raspy voice began to sing after the first few bars. Despite anything going on with the estranged couple, they still made beautiful music together.

They knocked out the track in one take, singing it through once more so Jim could layer it. Jim was the first to leave so he could go and pick up his daughter from school, and after awkwardly gathering their things, Lucas lingered by the door in hopes of speaking to Brooke one last time. She brushed past him with no intention of speaking, until Lucas gently grabbed her elbow. They locked eyes with each other, and Lucas gave her a pleading look. When she still said nothing, he hung his head defeated; but his head popped back up when she finally spoke.

"I'll see you at the wedding Lucas." And she quickly exited the studio.

 **Present Day - New York City**

She stared out at the New York skyline from the large wall of windows of her swanky penthouse loft. She had a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio in her hand, her hair was pinned up in an elegant manner, and she wore a tight black pencil skirt and a fancy white lace top. Red lips, make up perfection, and a rock that looked like it could sink the Titanic on her left finger. She turned when she heard the sound of her maid, Rosa's, voice.

"All of your things are packed Ms. Peyton. They're by the front door, and a car will pick you up for the airport in 10 minutes. I may go now?"

Not even bothering to turn around, she said, "Yes Rosa, thank you. I'll see you next week. That will be all."

Peyton wasn't intending to be rude. She actually quite liked and respected Rosa, but she was a society wife, the wife of a very prominent man, who expected her to treat the help just as is; the help. Pay them well, treat them fairly, but know your role, he'd say. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't hear Rosa's reply and just heard the front door quietly closing. This seemed to snap her out of her rumination, and she quickly found her long faux fur coat, dropped it over her shoulders, and grabbed her purse and airline ticket, and downed the last of her wine. Setting the glass down, she moved toward the front door and to the intercom, to call down to the lobby to make sure someone was coming to retrieve her bags for her. She pressed the button and called down to Henry, who confirmed that her car was here and the chauffeur would be up to the Penthouse momentarily to collect her things. Suddenly she heard a key in the door, and had to move back slightly so she wouldn't be hit.

It was her husband, David. David was a much older man than she. 20 years her elder. He was very wealthy, and sold skyscrapers for a living. She was a bonafide trophy wife. Peyton herself coming from means, she was your typical rich girl growing up, and did everything you'd expect of a rich white girl: go to university after high school, major in art history, join a sorority, and find a husband. She did all of those things, except the husband she found was a sorority sister's father. She was rich, and shallow, but she didn't always use to be. Despite being the typical rich privileged white girl, she fought hard back in high school to not be what everyone expected her to be, which was evidenced by the friends she kept. Her 5 best friends.

"Darling! You look stunning my dear." David said as they couple exchanged a kiss on each other's cheeks; nothing passionate or romantic about it.

"Thank you my love."

It was then that David noticed the purse on the crook of his wife's arm, the coat draped on her shoulders, and the suitcases in the corner. Before he could question his wife, there was a knock on the door, and he opened it to reveal a chauffeur with a name tag that read, "Conrad".

"Good evening sir, I'm here to pick up Mrs. David Liszt?"

"That would be me," said Peyton stepping forward and handing him her carry on Louis Vuitton. "You may call me Peyton."

"Good evening Peyton," Conrad replied, taking her bag from her hands and soon noticing the other bags on the floor, which he promptly picked up as well and began wheeling toward the elevator. Once he had the luggage loaded onto the elevator he held the door open for Peyton and waited.

Peyton turned to David, who looked at her confused.

"Darling I'm heading home to Tree Hill for my friend Haley's wedding. I'll be back Monday."

"Oh that is right! I must have forgotten. Well, have a nice trip dear. Call me when you land. I'll be sure to send a gift. I'll tell my assistant's assistant to go buy something."

"Already taken care of honey."

She stepped forward and pecked him quickly on the lips, so quick they barely even touched, and turned and walked out the door and into the elevator next to Conrad. As the doors closed, she waved a small wave to her husband, and let out a sigh of relief once he was out of sight.

 **Present Day - Tree Hill, NC**

"Everything is all set for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night! It's going to be perfect. Tonight we will have the cocktail hour and tomorrow the boys will tee off at the golf course while us ladies have our luncheon, and then the rehearsal dinner at that little cafe you two love so much, Saturday up early for hair and makeup for you missy, wedding at 7, reception at 8, and Sunday brunch before you head off to Switzerland for your honeymoon! It's wonderful how this has all come together…"

Haley was shocked that Nathan's mother managed to say all this in one breath. His mother had completely taken over the wedding planning; Haley basically was just showing up. The grand fancy wedding that was taking place over the weekend in their sleepy little town was not wanted Haley wanted by a long shot. Gone was the dream of a quiet little beach wedding, just she and Nathan and their best friends from high school; enter the wedding of 500 guests at the local church (the church could only hold 400 she had no idea how they were making that work….) with a reception at the Tree Hill country club to follow. Brunch at Nathan's parents mansion the morning after, and an all expense paid honeymoon to Switzerland; the only thing she was looking forward to, especially because it was far away from her inlaws. She couldn't wait for her own mother to arrive, she was so stressed from dealing with Nathan's. Traditionally the brides mother helps plan the wedding, but Haley's parents left Tree Hill the moment she graduated high school, and Nathan's mother was insistent on taking over and paying for everything. Nathan's father was a state senator, and his mother was head of the Tree Hill Junior League.

"Sounds lovely Deb." She tried her best to fake a genuine smile, as Nathan squeezed her hand until the table to calm her. He knew this wasn't the wedding she wanted, and he felt bad that his mother took over the way she did. He was used to it though, and promised Haley that he would spend the rest of their lives making it up to her.

"Sorry about that. Jenny's school called." said Jake as he sat back down next to his older sister and replaced his napkin in his lap. He hated being stuck at this lunch with his sister's future in laws going over the game plan for the weekend. He was a groomsman in the wedding, and since his sister was a ball of constant anxious nerves due to the stress of it all and marrying a Senator's son, Haley had demanded he be by her side at all times until their parents arrived.

"Everything okay?" Haley said with concern for her niece.

"Yeah she's fine; they were just letting me know she was going to be bringing home a piece of school work that I needed to sign."

"Oh there's your father!" said Deb, and Nathan, Haley and Jake looked up from their table to see Dan Scott, walk into the restaurant, followed by his security team and his assistant. Dan made his way over to his wife first, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her hello. He then shook hands with his son, who had stood up to greet his father. Dan then took his seat, and acknowledged Haley and Jake.

"Had to move some things around so I could even make this lunch. Apologies for my tardiness. Haley, (he nodded) Jeff (he nodded again) good to see you."

"Uh, it's Jake."

"Jake. Right. Sorry Jake."

Jake couldn't believe the family his sister was marrying into. They were nothing like the James family. They were rich, and society like, and snobby, and cared way too much what other people thought.

"Good to see you too Mr. Scott," Haley replied shyly.

"Haley, you're about to become my daughter in law. You may call me Dan," he said. Everything screaming fake pleasantries. It wasn't exactly unknown that Deb and Dan Scott did not approve of their son's choice of wife. Nathan was the son of a senator, and much was expected of him. Haley was older, and plain in their opinion, and came from no means. The same could be said for their sons high school girlfriend, except they thought her beautiful and thought her a far better choice for their son.

"A toast. To the Scott wedding! And to my son Nathan, future President of the United States! To Nathan!"

Deb smiled proudly and kissed her sons cheek as she raised a glass. Nathan blushed furiously as he glanced at Haley, who gave him an encouraging smile. She may not like her soon to be inlaws but they could agree that Nathan was wonderful and would be a fantastic President and she believed in every fiber of her being that he would be someday. She raised her glass to her almost husband, and kicked her brother under the table without glancing at him to make him raise his glass also. Jake raised his glass reluctantly whilst giving his sister a death glare. The 5 all clinked their glasses and sipped.

The wedding weekend had begun.


End file.
